Dragon Age II: Liberation
by horob575
Summary: After the events on Seheron, Vixen has no place to run to. Memories of her life lead her to a place where she can hide and find something worth fighting for.
1. Chapter 1

Alright I had this story idea bouncing around in my head for some time so I had to write it down. I would like to thank dominicgrim for being my beta. Reviews and criticism are welcome.

Ch.1

Vixen watched as the elven slaves maneuvered around the Magisters pouring drinks and clearing plates. Vixen was disgusted at the amount of food that went to waste as the Magisters would try something once and then had something else brought to them. The worst was that the slaves weren't even allowed finish it as most went to her master's hounds. Some plates were barely touched. She barely managed to keep her own stomach in check as a slave brought a plate for her master. Danarius didn't even acknowledge the slave and picked up a fork and began to eat. It looked delicious. It was a steaming roast chicken slathered in orange sauce. She fidgeted slightly and began to walk the around the table to scan the room to look for any threats.

Her lyrium markings flared a bit a she walked. She still wasn't used to the pain yet that the markings brought. The first week she could barely moves without excruciating pain. It had been only a few weeks since the lyrium was etched into her skin. Luckily Danarius wanted to show off his work and her armor around her stomach and left bicep was bare.

The rest of her body was a different story. Her right arm and shoulder had a completely covered and with a shoulder pauldrons with a fox embroidered on it. The gauntlet she wore had clawed fingertips. The left arm only had on a drakeskin fingerless bracer that went up to her elbow with her left bicep bare so she could draw the bow on her back with ease. Her chest piece was gray revealing a small amount of cleavage and around her shoulders was black dyed fox fur. Her stomach was bare, revealing her lyrium tattoos. From the waist down she wore a black belt with a fox head for a buckle, dark leather leggings with knee high boots with silverite tips and knee guards. Atop her head was a black hood that covered the top half of her face in shadow. The only thing that could be seen was her left eye, which glowed dully as it was lined with lyrium. The tattoos were designed after the old barbarian clans of Fereldan from which she was told she hailed from.

Vixen never asked as it wasn't her place, but her master would often give her tidbits of her past when he talked about her to other Magisters. When she finished her round, she returned to Danarius' side. He acknowledged her, "Vixen my dear, would you kindly pour Cracius a goblet of wine." He ordered.

She nodded her head, "Yes Master." She grabbed a pitcher of wine brought to her by an elven slave girl. A brief thought entered her mind. She was the only human slave that her master owned. She dismissed it quickly instead focusing on not dropping the pitcher from the pain. She walked over to Cracius. Cracius was a weasel of an old man as her master called him before he arrived. He was smaller and looked frailer than Danarius and slightly bald. Her Master was tall and lean, with a full head of graying black hair and beard to boot. What they both shared was a gaunt face from the blood magic they used so often.

Cracius eyed her appraising Danarius' work as she poured wine into his goblet. "Marvelous, isn't she?" Danarius said.

Cracius nodded, "It seems that you have perfected the art." He added.

"Yes, I wasn't sure she would survive. I should have known better. She did manage to outfox my little wolf after all." Danarius bragged.

Cracius frowned, "I remember. I lost twenty Imperial sovereigns that day. I was certain that little elf of yours was going to win."

"Perhaps a test of her powers," a female Magister on the other side of Cracius suggested.

Danarius gave everyone an evil smile, "Yes Vixen, show them all what you can do." He motioned and two slaves who walked in, flanked by guards, one male, one female. Cracius' face paled. "You recognize them don't you Cracius?" My little fox found them snooping in my study. When interrogated they mentioned they were inserted into my household by you." He gave the signal. Vixen walked up to the slaves, her markings flared and her arms began to glow white as she reached into their chests and pulled out their hearts. Cracius' face paled even more as the bodies dropped to the floor. "Well done my pet, you are such a marvelous creature. Now rip out Cracius' heart." The old man stood up desperately and tried to cast but within seconds Vixen had broken into a sprint and jumped over the table pinning the old man to the floor. She picked him up by the throat and with her free hand ripped out his heart. Afterwards Danarius began to clap which was soon followed by the uncertain claps of the rest of the Magisters.

The Magister from before spoke up as she clapped, a delighted smile on her face. "You really know how to keep your guests entertained Danarius. Bravo." Danarius nodded soaking in the accolades for such a great achievement. The dinner ended with many of the Magisters calling it a night and returned to their perspective homes. It was easy to see that Danarius' new bodyguard had unnerved them a bit. Danarius retired for the night as well and Vixen made her way to her room. It wasn't the biggest room as it only had enough room for a bed and armor rack. It sure as hell beat what the other slaves slept in. The room had been designed for a bodyguard, it was close enough to the master bedroom should Danarius be attacked for her to act quickly.

Slowly she began taking off her armor. She flinched slightly as the pain from her markings only increased when the armor rubbed on her skin. She slowly laid down; her shoulder length white hair sprawled out on her old lumpy pillow as she did so. She didn't go to sleep, she knew better. She slowly counted down until like clockwork she heard _her._ Vixen closed her eyes, pretending to be sound asleep when she heard the door creak open. A woman about her age stood in the door way. She had black hair and milky blue eyes. Her slender form leaned on the door.

"What's this? Already sound asleep are we?" a shrill voice came from her maw. "We can't have you sleeping on the job now. Danarius must be protected throughout the night." Hadriana said walked over to Vixen who stood up from the bed. Hadriana pulled off Vixen worn shirt and ran her fingers along Vixen's chest tracing the lines around her breasts and stomach. "I hope he teaches me the art one day, then I can make own pet." Vixen flinched as Hadriana's fingers continued run along her markings for some time admiring her Master's work perhaps a little too much if the look in her eyes was anything to go on. Vixen wore a neutral look trying not to seem agitated at all. Hadriana then began to dress her roughly to purposely cause more pain as she roughly dressed Vixen.

Hadriana's hand traced along the intricate tattoos around Vixen's left eye and when her finger grazed along her lyrium covered eye. Vixen couldn't take anymore, "Please stop," it was barely a whisper but Danarius' apprentice heard it all the same.

"Stop what? This?" she traced finger harder along hard surface of the eye. Vixen turned her head away as it the pain became too much. The motion earned her a hard slap across her cheek and the shock of magic. She let out a whimper as she collapsed to her knees. "Pathetic," was all Hadriana said before leaving Vixen's room. She found that she was weeping from her regular emerald colored eye. She cursed herself for letting the bitch get to her. She got up and began taking off her armor once again. Before finally getting some sleep.

…

_She dreamed of a farm somewhere she didn't recognize. She looked around the small hills. It was summer. She found herself running toward one. She dropped to a crouch and snuck up the hill. She got down and crawled on her belly the rest of the way. She peaked over the hill to see man with ginger hair and emerald eyes like her own in this dream. He was showing a little girl how to produce a fireball. Vixen watched in awe. She then heard a clanking sound and looked to see two boys plop down on either side of her. Both were clad in rusty chainmail. _

_"Shhh, you knitwits, they'll hear." She hissed. One boy on her right who was around twelve smirked. He had the same ginger hair and emerald eyes as herself and the man. The younger boy had black hair and brown eyes like the girl._

_"We were quiet," the ginger haired boy said. _

_Vixen scowled and muttered, "'bout as quite as cat with a bell around its neck." _

_"Shut up you two, he's showing her the ice spells," the younger one said a little annoyed._

_They watched for about another five minutes before the man stopped, "You kids should know not to sneak up on me."_

_"Told you, you were too loud," Vixen hissed._

The ginger haired boy rolled his eyes and that is when the dream began to fade.

Vixen awoke to a new day of following her master around while he did what he considered to be useful. Vixen really wished the dream wouldn't have ended. She felt happy like it was real. Perhaps it was of her old life. The thought excited her as she got up early to prepare. Danarius slept till noon most days especially because of last night's dinner party, but Vixen always got up at dawn to get ready and make herself presentable. She went down to the kitchen's to grab something to eat and then went to stand at her master's door to wait until he was ready to begin his day.

A/N: Sorry Fenris fans, it is just how the story played out. I was originally going to have Danarius be impressed by both their skill and take them both, but i figured that Lyrium is expensive and he pry only has enough of it for one warrior. Keep in mind I don't hate Fenris, he is pry the coolest follower after Varric in DAII (in my opinion).


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter 2 of liberation. Again reviews and criticism are welcome. I would like to thank dominicgrim for being my beta.

Liberation Ch.2

Vixen ran; she rarely stopped to rest. She was running from her master. She stowed away from Seheron on a boat. Danarius no doubt already had hunters after her and she had yet to cross the Tevinter border. She stopped only when she absolutely needed to, but only for short periods of time and rarely stopped in places with any people. She stole from farms and the odd traveler when she could. She tried disguising herself, but the marking would glow through any material she found if when they flared so disguises were of no use.

She could still hear the screams of her friends, the Fog Warriors in her mind. Danarius managed to track her down. They told her they could take him together. Old instincts and a slave's conditioning made her hesitate. He ordered her to kill them. She remembered that… she didn't want to. If it wasn't the for the Qunari ambush, Danarius would have had his little fox back. The Qunari were brutal and killed everyone there say for a few who ran. Her master managed to weasel his way out as well, but she was already gone. She stopped and closed her eyes. She saw Fog warriors strewn about. She could still smell the burnt gaatlock and blood. They were all dead.

She looked up. She didn't even realize where she heading. Something told her east, a distant memory.

_A young red haired girl sat on the floor of a one room farmhouse. She sat near the fire with several pieces of cloth on her lap. An older woman with graying black hair sat in a rocking chair sowing together a piece of cloth. _

_ "Mother, why can't I go out and help Garrett, Carver and Father with planting the crop? Why do I have be stuck here learning how to sow?" _

_ "Shush darling, I learned well before I was your age and besides how else will you repair that leather armor you are so found of, hmm? You don't see Bethany complaining." Vixen looked to the little black haired girl sitting next who was sowing diligently. Her mother smiled while Vixen crossed her arms and frowned._

_ "Mother how did you meet dad?" she asked in hopes of getting her mother off the subject of sowing._

_ "Perhaps I'll tell you when you pick up that needle dear," her mother said pointing at the pieces of cloth in Vixen's lap._

_ She sighed, "Ok." She picked up and began to do as her mother instructed._

_ "Well I was once a noble on Kirkwall…" the memory faded._

Kirkwall, that was the connection. It was better than throwing her knife in the air and going which ever direction it pointed when it landed. The point was she had a direction and connection to her past to follow. She wasn't running blind anymore.

**…**

Blood dripped from her daggers as she surveyed the scene in front of her. The slave hunters were all dead. She had hardly a scratch on her. There were more than the last time, and that number was bound to only increase until she was eventually overwhelmed. She was getting closer to the city of chains. She could see it in the distance. It was where no doubt they had already figured out where she was going. Her advantage was that the city was supposed to be huge with many old mining tunnels and places to hide in the city itself.

She gathered some of the weapons they had on them. She used their belts to tie them together and carried them with her. She needed the coin if she was going to survive there and perhaps hire help when she needed it.

**…**

The city was indeed big. It unnerved her as to how similar it was in design to Minrathous. Spikes ran down the sides of every street on the lower section of the city. Lowtown was a maze where the in the time when Tevinter ruled here, it designed to confuse slaves during any type of rebellion. The nobles lived in Hightown where the Magisters of old stayed. The tall mansions where dwarfed by the Viscount's Keep and the Chantry. Off in the harbor was the massive prison known to many as the gallows. It was where the circle of Magi resided being waved over by their Templar overlords.

The sight of it gave her some relief. Mages had too much power in Tevinter and the fact mages were locked up was comforting and only endeared the city to her even more.

It wasn't hard to track the slave hunters when they arrived. With as many men that they had with them, it was impossible to keep a low profile. She met a dwarf named Anso whom she hired to refer her to someone willing to help her deal with them. The stakes only increased when she caught word that a Magister had come to the city as well. Danarius was here.

**…**

Hawke found Anzo's job a bit suspicious as they walked toward the alienage. Aveline seemed rather disappointed that he decided to pursue the job. Normally he would have turned it down, but he needed all the coin he could get to get the estate back and keep his sister out of the Gallows. Bethany looked at him, her brown eyes filled with trepidation as they walked into the uncharacteristically quiet alienage.

"This doesn't feel right," she whispered as Garrett opened the door.

He nodded as he walked to the house Anso described. Varric went in next to check for traps. There were none he could see which meant that this was indeed a setup, for whom was yet to be determined. He drew his massive greatsword from his back and had it at the ready. Bethany checked for any magical traps as Varric unlocked the chest in the middle of the ramshackle room.

"Theirs is nothing in here," Varric growled.

"We'll have to go back to Anso and tell him," Hawke said while he stroked his red colored beard, "Did you check for a false bottom."

"Who do you think you are talking to Hawke, some rank amateur? Bianca and I are almost insulted." Varric said while heading back toward the door.

Hawke shrugged and walked back out the room with him, "Sorry, my sister used to do the same thing when we were kids, took me forever to find my breaches."

Bethany chuckled, "I remember that too, Marian was…" they were interrupted by the sight of a dozen warriors and mage.

The mage crinkled his nose, "You are not the one he wants," he looked to the man next to him. "Kill them."

The men and women in the group did as they were bid and fell on them. Hawke readied his blade and charged letting his pent up anger out. He sliced one man and half at the waste and swung his sword around to slice off a woman's head. Bethany engaged the very surprised mage with magic while Aveline knocked a man down for him to be shot in the throat by Bianca. The fight was over rather quickly even after the reinforcements came out of one of houses. Hawke took a minute to cool off from the berserker rage that over took him. He looked to see Bethany and Varric looking for coin purses. Aveline waited for them only for a Man to walk down the steps the Alienage.

His armor was heavier and better crafted. Hawke guessed he was the Captain of this pathetic mercenary outfit. "You will pay for what you did," he growled at them. "Lieutenant, get everyone in the clearing." There was a long awkward pause before a woman walked around the corner.

"I don't think they will be doing much of anything any longer." She said in amused tone as she leaned her hip to one side.

The man paled, "Regardless, you're coming back with me slave." He drew his sword as the woman completely ignoring Hawke and his band.

He swung his sword. Hawke watched as the woman did nothing while the sword swung at her. At least until the last second where the markings on her skin lit up and the sword passed right threw her. Hawke watched as she reached into his chest and pulled out the captain's heart. The man crumpled to the ground. The hooded woman walked over to them, stepping over his body as she went.

She looked him up and down; she froze when she saw his face. For a second she did nothing and stared at him for a moment. It was hard to tell what expression she wore with that hood over her eyes. He took the chance to look her over. She was dressed in finely crafted leather armor with fox fur lining her shoulders. She wore no armor on her stomach, probably to show off those shiny tattoos that graced her belly. The most off putting thing was that her left eye glowed dully under her hood which must have been enchanted to darken the top half of her face no matter the amount of light shining on it. One couldn't see anything other than the markings on her cheeks, which were mostly unblemished. Her pouty lips were open slightly as she continued to stare at him. She recovered from her stupor and looked at his companions. She appraised them for a moment before looking back to him. "I would like to thank you for springing the trap they set. There were too many for me to fight on my own even after I exhausted my quiver. My name is Vixen"

Hawke glared, "You mean you hired that squirrelly dwarf so you put some else on harm's way." She seemed taken aback by the anger in his tone.

"I apologize, but you were the most recommended. I figured if the story about you killing an ogre was true than a group of slave hunters would be of no issue." She argued.

Hawke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "In the end we are still standing and those pieces of shit aren't." He jerked his thumb at the dead slavers behind him. The hooded woman nodded and crouched to go through the captain's pockets and pulled out note.

She read it quickly and wicked smile graced her face, "As luck would have, it seems my former master indeed has come to Kirkwall." She looked at him, "I know we didn't get off on the right foot, but if he is here, I must confront him."

Hawke didn't hesitate. "We will help," he stated.

"Really I don't know if I can pay you, but if you do I will help you with any endeavors you have." She offered.

"No need, I lost a sister to slavers once. I am more than willing to kill them for free." He looked at Bethany and Aveline. They both seemed for it.

Varric shrugged, "The night's still young."

**…**

Vixen couldn't help but glance at the man named Hawke while they trekked to Hightown. He looked so much like the man from her memories. Only he wasn't. Hawke was younger, much younger. He said he lost a sister to slavers, could he be the boy from her dreams? He did have the same red hair and green eyes. Bethany looked like the younger girl from her dreams as well.

The thoughts escaped her as the mansion the piece of paper mentioned came into view. Reading was something she enjoyed. After about a month of waiting for her master at the door, she took to sneaking into his study and reading covertly from his library. That was how she caught Cracius' spies that day. She simply said she was on a morning patrol. She must have known how to read before her memories were taken was the only way to explain it as slaves were not taught how to read in the Imperium.

She was the first to go in. She quietly looked for traps and continued. She heard Hawke's armor clank as he walked in. "Stop you nitwit before the entire mansion hears you," she hissed.

Hawke froze not out of obedience, but out of shock and stared at her as she moved on, checking for traps as she went. She must have tripped on a magic one because shades popped out the ground. She cursed herself for not having Hawke's sister check for magic traps with her.

The shades fell quickly, and they only ran into more as they continued thought out the mansion. They got the key off an arcane horror that guarded the entrance to the master bedroom where Danarius was no doubt waiting for them.

"Be ready," was all she said before kicking open the door. There was no one. The bed and some of furniture was open as it looked like someone left in a hurry. She growled and stormed out of the room, "That coward ran!" She said she practically stomped past them.

**…**

Hawke was still in shock and mostly went through the motions in the estate as they struck down demon after demon. He looked to see that Bethany was of the same mind. Could this be her? The way she called him a nitwit was so familiar. He followed the angry ex-slave as she exited the mansion. When they came out he saw her leaning against a pillar.

"I was so close, he actually left the seat of his power to find me and I **blew** it." She sighed. She looked at them, "You no doubt have questions?"

Hawke hesitated. He didn't want to come out and say what he thought. It could be a different person under that hood. Instead he went with the obvious one, "Are your tattoos made of lyrium?" She nodded and pointed to her eye.

"The eye too, Danarius accidently dropped a glob on it while he was doing the tattoo on my face. She pulled the hood back to show them. Bethany gasped, and Hawke's eyes widened at the woman. It was her except what was once red hair, which much was like his own was now white. Her regular eye was still the same emerald color, but was indeed his sister's before she was taken.

"Marian?"


End file.
